I just have to say that I've gotten so much writing out of Fate Warning's The Spectre Withinand Awaken the Guardian. If you like fantasy/power metal, I cannot recommend these two albums enough. Listening to them now, and getting ready to be creative yet one more time.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

A haven for free-thinkers and independently-minded people, Arkdorado is a very loose alliance of smaller communities that traditionally find leadership from the Coney settlement of New New Edinburg. All inhabitants of New New Edinburg assume the last name of “Coney” in honor of the great man that founded the settlement and carved out a small slice of civilization among barbarity over 100 years ago.

There are many small settlements throughout this area, mostly walled farming settlements focusing on subsistence agriculture and a few trade goods. Although relatively primitive in technology, the people of Arkdorado are canny tacticians through their shared belief in playing the ancient table-top war games of the ancients to sharpen their minds. It is, in fact, almost a religious activity in Arkdorado, so visitors should expect to play games when staying in the territory. We recommend the games are played, as declining can be seen as an insult. Because of this belief, it is not unusual to find muties from Arkdorado leading regiments in the armies of other, more technologically-advanced, states.

There are a few small ruins in Arkdorado, but most have been thoroughly picked through and lack even the smallest cell of The Church of Parkour. That said, we have recently heard rumors that, if the ruins have been thoroughly picked over, whoever did the picking did a poor job.

This smartly illuminated manuscript is found throughout libraries of the west as one of the few studies of eastern insects. This, coupled with its clever writing concerning the strange people’s encountered in the eastern jungles, makes it a desired tome. Over fifty years ago, Spree Waghorn made the long and perilous journey homeward after failing to disarm a particularly nasty teleport trap. His trip was postponed for two years in the sweltering eastern jungles during which time he created an illustrated account of the insects of the area while incorporating observations concerning the people therein.

Unknown to all but the most erudite, the book is entirely a work of fiction based upon existing scholarship. Waghorn lives up to his name, reaping a significant retirement by organizing reproductions and sales of his work.

Found out about these in my reading today. Could make an interesting OSRIC critter or even a S&SS critter.

From Herodotus, The Histories 3.102-105
[3.102] Besides these, there are Indians of another tribe, who border on the city of Caspatyrus, and the country of Pactyica; these people dwell northward of all the rest of the Indians, and follow nearly the same mode of life as the Bactrians. They are more warlike than any of the other tribes, and from them the men are sent forth who go to procure the gold. For it is in this part of India that the sandy desert lies. Here, in this desert, there live amid the sand great ants, in size somewhat less than dogs, but bigger than foxes. The Persian king has a number of them, which have been caught by the hunters in the land whereof we are speaking. Those ants make their dwellings under ground, and like the Greek ants, which they very much resemble in shape, throw up sand heaps as they burrow. Now the sand which they throw up is full of gold. The Indians, when they go into the desert to collect this sand, take three camels and harness them together, a female in the middle and a male on either side, in a leading rein. The rider sits on the female, and they are particular to choose for the purpose one that has but just dropped her young; for their female camels can run as fast as horses, while they bear burthens very much better.

[3.104] When the Indians therefore have thus equipped themselves they set off in quest of the gold, calculating the time so that they may be engaged in seizing it during the most sultry part of the day, when the ants hide themselves to escape the heat. The sun in those parts shines fiercest in the morning, not, as elsewhere, at noonday; the greatest heat is from the time when he has reached a certain height, until the hour at which the market closes. During this space he burns much more furiously than at midday in Greece, so that the men there are said at that time to drench themselves with water. At noon his heat is much the same in India as in other countries, after which, as the day declines, the warmth is only equal to that of the morning sun elsewhere. Towards evening the coolness increases, till about sunset it becomes very cold.

[3.105] When the Indians reach the place where the gold is, they fill their bags with the sand, and ride away at their best speed: the ants, however, scenting them, as the Persians say, rush forth in pursuit. Now these animals are, they declare, so swift, that there is nothing in the world like them: if it were not, therefore, that the Indians get a start while the ants are mustering, not a single gold-gatherer could escape. During the flight the male camels, which are not so fleet as the females, grow tired, and begin to drag, first one, and then the other; but the females recollect the young which they have left behind, and never give way or flag. Such, according to the Persians, is the manner in which the Indians get the greater part of their gold; some is dug out of the earth, but of this the supply is more scanty.

Doing more reading about India in India: A History by John Keay today. Ran across an interesting passage about a ritual called Ashvamedha. The link is worth a few minutes of reading. The part in the book I was reading referred to the traveling of the horse-sacrifice to determine where should be attacked next. The other aspects of the ritual were not mentioned in the book I'm reading, but were quite unusual, to say the least.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Learned a new word today when reading India: A History. Chalcolithic is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools - between the stone and the bronze age is the copper age, the Chalcolithic.

There is abundant life energy in the heroes of this world, and foul undead creatures can tap into this well of life and reduce it with a touch. Shane the Leeful, a cleric of Parsanos the Healer, discovered a difficult technique allowing those such drained to regain some of their lost life energy by tapping directly into the life of the earth itself. Healing Life Energy describes a long, complicated, and expensive ritual allowing one so drained to regain 1/4th of what they lost.

The ritual requires a good cleric of at least 3rd level (or a Paladin of 11th) to perform and requires at least a week’s contemplation and prayer while reading the book. In addition, 500 gp of rare unguents and herbs need be acquired. Finally the ritual can begin, taking a full day’s time. The chance of success is 70% +15% for every level of the ritualist over the minimum required for his class. A positive result regains 1/4th of all the experience lost by an energy drain while a negative result shows that the lost energy can never be regained but through the most powerful of magics.

Monday, October 25, 2010

You know how I said I was going to work yesterday? I didn't. :) Played more games and got semi-hooked on a new facebook game called Braaains. It's pretty silly, but I'm pretty silly, or that is, my nature is very serious and I try to culture the silly parts of myself to achieve a harmonious day-to-day balance. Today however, it's back on the wagon. Done the e-mails, a new SSL cert has been acquired, a vendor issue resolved - all to the charming tunes of Tom Wait's Blood Money.

Now, on to some editing and reading a new Advanced Adventures manuscript.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Took yesterday off as well and played more games. It's been a great two days off. I normally don't get two days in a row off without any work because I work from home and it's always easy to do a few hours even on "off" days. But the past two days all I did was check e-mails to make sure nothing went wrong and enjoy the time off.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Suzi and I took most of yesterday off to play games. We probably did five or six games each of San Juan and Jambo. We had a lot of fun with both. I think San Juan is a slightly better game, but I think I prefer Jambo over it because of a greater complexity of play. Today I should work, but there are a few more games calling my name if I can convince Suzi that she doesn't really need to read Microbiology today. :)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

I've just finished the main parts of the adventure and am now doing the touch-up work. Many writers work from start to finish, following a rough outline of the idea. I tend to jump around to whatever is interesting me at the moment and I leave big holes behind that have to be fixed. A good example in Sorcery & Super Science is that I'll write "broadcast power station" as an item to stat up in a room description and then move on. I'm at the stage now where I go back and fill in those holes.

I've also been listening to a boat-load of Tom Waits (mostly his more recent stuff) and I'm wondering if that's going to work it's way into the writing in ways that I won't see until I do the first editing pass. As if having creepy, calliope/burlesque/vaudeville themes are somehow not a benefit to a S&SS adventure! :)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

This one features 1 new sorcerous artifact, 6 miscellaneous items, 1 new robot, 1 new vehicle, and 66 lesser miscellaneous items suitable for various power levels and certain to bring additional life to the world under the shattered moon. Available at Your Games Now and rpgnow. Available soon from e23 and Paizo.

97. The Dark Lands of Kalamazoo
Wizard State: The Great Kalamazoo
GTSL: 3711

Nestled against the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is the wizard state called The Dark Lands of Kalamazoo. The land here is blasted and barren, filled with rolling hills and dismal swamps. The sun rarely shines and when it does, it shines down upon vast swaths of mushrooms fields, some larger than a dozen square miles. Most of these mushrooms are harmless, but many are not, and the mutated fungi common to these areas have resulted in uncounted horrible deaths. Braving this territory requires careful planning and mostly night travel. There are many ruins here that are generally unscavenged, but getting in and out is very difficult. We recommend hiring a native guide if you choose to enter here.

Of The Great Kalamazoo we know little. He is rumored to dress only in purples and oranges, ride a mecha-magical flying steed and blast at any who offend him with rockets. He appears to find the mere existence of most muties offensive.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Saw this critter at the Newport Aquarium last weekend. Whenever in need of a monster for gaming, nature seems ready to provide if one's willing to look into the nooks and crannies of this world - just look at that bone structure... :)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Sorry for the paucity of posting, I went to Cincinnati last weekend and spent time with an old college friend. Lots of conversation, the best Hefeweisen I've ever had (Hofbrauhaus Newport), a visit to the aquarium (love 'em) and the fact that I didn't travel with my laptop for the first time in a long time resulted in nothing new. Since I've got a lot of catching up to do today, lets do another Tome of Tomes for the library.

The aristocracy of the elemental planes is an opaque subject, but Elemental Heraldry & Genealogy sheds some light upon the subject. Farandman focuses mostly on the higher nobility, but delves into the lesser nobility upon occasions. A very rare work on a very unusual subject, it is highly valued by those interested in the subject.

How William the Wise learned so much about the secretive race known as doppelganger in common is unknown, but sages speculate that he may have been a doppelganger himself. One who through random chance, but more plausibly magic, experienced a change of heart concerning the intense secrecy surrounding the race. Within the work, art, culture, politics and religion are discussed, but the most valuable chapter from the view of an adventurer is the one helping identify disguised doppelgangers. William the Wise provides a list of small traits, quirks, and errors to watch for, providing a small advantage when determining if a creature is a doppelganger in disguise. Reading this work takes two weeks.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Well, I just finished reading all of the books I've set aside for A Magical Medieval Society Castles and writing will start soon. To be honest, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. A castle book is hard to do as a Magical Society product because what I need is synthesis of the subject, not just a simple elucidation and transference of information to the reader - which is also needed of course. Synthesis is a bitch. I'm kinda stuck now, staring at the blank white page and going... "huh?"

I've also been trucking along with my Magical Society India reading. It's been cool and I've learned some interesting things that I didn't know before. Once I'm done with two or three general books I'll need to focus on more specific books, but I won't know that those are until I get there. Reading is always so much easier than writing. :)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Just finished the 1st draft of the ZZZ Quick Guide to North America and am very happy with it. Now on to the first round of editing, then the second draft and then art hunting. It's clocking in at just around 19,000 words.

General information: Blood nagas are woodland cavern dwellers, typically found alone or in small groups. They enjoy dark places, possessing darkvision to 60 ft., and tend to be quite cautious, as they are weaker than their brethren. They are thoroughly evil, however, and their pride and cruel desires often get in the way of their better judgment. Blood nagas can see and attack into the ethereal plane.

At will, blood nagas may spit a spray of blood in a cone (1 ft. wide at the origin, 30 ft. range, 15 ft. wide at the end) that can send opponents to the ethereal plane for 1-4 rounds if they fail a save against poison. Blood nagas can only use their stinger against ethereal opponents, who must save against poison or be paralyzed for 1-4 turns. Spraying blood causes 1 hit point of damage to the naga.

Blood nagas are able to employ druidic magic at the 5th level of ability possessing four 1st, three 2nd, and two 3rd level spells per day. Their bite is fairly weak, doing only 1-4 hit points of damage, and they prefer to feast upon paralyzed prey.

Languages: Blood nagas speak their own language as well as common.

Physical description: Like other nagas, blood nagas are large snakes with human facial features. They have dull scales and tend towards grays in their almost patternless skins. They possess prominent stingers at the end of their tails, resembling a scorpion’s. Blood nagas average 12 feet in length and weigh between 200 and 400 pounds.

Little is known of the author, a reclusive sage rumored to still dwell somewhere in the Garvian Mountains, but his extensive catalogue of dead gods is a thorough and detailed work of scholarship. Dead deities is only found to the exact specifications above. Attempts have been made to copy the work to other specifications, but invariably such copies are eventually opened to find the text changed to pure gibberish. There is power in each copy of Dead Deities and the power is far from understood. Perhaps not all dead deities are truly dead?

Monday, October 11, 2010

Just east of the ruins of ancient Yakima, the capital of New Japan hugs the side of a steep mountain, bunkered down in safety. The only place in North American where Japanese is the primary language, New Japan is composed of mostly muties with a Japanese heritage. How they got here is unknown to us at the ZZZ Society, but they claim to have come from a Japan before cars and trains and say that their great-grandparents had never seen a white man, more the less any of the standard horrors found under the shattered moon.

Regardless their origin, the Japanese of New Japan crafted a flourishing feudal state east of The Cascade Wilderlands. Such growth has recently halted due the war against the Warlord of Spokane. New Japan is allied with The League of Warm Springs and Pudlandia in the war, but things are fairing poorly for New Japan and much territory has been conquered or simply destroyed.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

I've just finished about 70% of the The ZZZ Guide to North America. It's taking me a bit longer than I'd expected and proving to be a tough, but rewarding, write. It's tough in that I'm trying to make a coherent world (at least in terms of what I think coherency would be for the postulated Sorcery & Super Science reality) that has just enough detail to spur the imagination of GMs, allowing them to take the broad strokes of the work as a framework within which to build their own world.

I've been adamant throughout S&SS that the game is the game as played at each and every table and that all "rules" are guidelines in that endeavor. The "rules" are to be followed when desired and ignored when desired. I'm also adamant that the world's details are exactly the same - not real until the GM decides to include them at his table. In this way, S&SS is completely old-school. The rules are new, the setting's new, but the way that I want the game to be played is entirely in the hands of the players and GM. That's old-school, IMO.

But, ironically, this openness makes writing a bit harder than when I feel as if I'm making definitive statements about a subject and thus, taking a bit more time than expected. I think that its going to be an awesome supplement for those looking for a good sandbox environment.

Before reaching the horrors of the The Great Desert surrounding the southern Colorado Kingdoms, one runs into the horrors of The Lizard Lords of Albuquerque. The land here is riddled with underground burrows filled with hideous lizard men who use all other muties as slaves and food. The various Lizard Lords all pay tribute to The Great Lizard King and occasionally all band together into large raiding groups, striking into other states on quick raids. The Lizard Lords hold no shares in The Slave Fields of the Colorado Kingdoms and it is a common location for their predations.

As such, all of the other states in the area are at war with The Lizard Lords, but terrain and a deep unwillingness to send troops out of their home territories makes effective retaliation against The Lizard Lords impossible. However, the other states fund small hit-and-run raiding groups as a constant irritant to the burrowed lizard men.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

I spend most of my writing time listening to music from several different genres. I tend to favor old-school metal (and some modern metal sans cookie-monster lyrics) and rock music more than anything. This influences my writing in many ways, mostly through mood and tone, but sometimes directly - such as the fortunate son spirit being pulled from Creedence Clearwater Revival's song of the same name. In some ways, music is so tied to my creativity that simply playing a record will help break through a writing-block.

Hrm... a post not much about anything. That's ok since it's a Saturday and most people visit the blog during the weekdays. Ya'll need to get to work instead of reading my blog... :)

The most common of the Common dictionaries, Culdde’s enumerates over 35,000 words of the Common tongue. It indicates each word’s part of speech along with a very brief etymology of the word if such was known by Culdee.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Lets pick up with the series again. The below book could have many uses within a campaign and might require a GM to avail himself of the internet to find specific codes if the players concoct some game-oriented rational for such detail.

Codes, by Jasper Kyanite, contains detailed explanations of 20 different secret writing systems commonly used by gnomes and dwarfs. It contains various transposition ciphers, substitution ciphers and examples of steganography as well as the making of scytales. Kyanite’s work is considered required reading for any reasonably competent cryptographer.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Woot! The first volume of character-oriented expansions is finished and ready for purchase. The short PDF provides players with 1 new race and 2 new destinies. For a GM, there's also a complete adventuring group known as The Hand of Fate and 56 commoners ready to be dropped into any adventure.

Monday, October 4, 2010

The Lucky Duchy. What’s left to be said in a brief comment about the state that isn’t common knowledge by now? The state is the only oasis along the main trade route in The Great Desert worthy of the title. It is truly the oasis of oases. It is both a hive of scum and villainy and the only real safe place between the Colorado Kingdoms and the Crusader Sates of California. It is lit in bright and gaudy lights and has the military to defend such obnoxious display against aggressors from the Deathlands surrounding it.

As the saying goes, anything under the Shattered Moon can be found here. The Lucky Duchy is the largest trading center in North America and all the major trading companies have permanent houses here, viciously competing for goods in their quest to accumulate precious metals. Rumors abound that every secret society can be found here as well.

Entering The Lucky Duchy is easy, just spin the wheel, pay the price, and leave your weapons at the gate. If you don’t like being unarmed, don’t worry, there’s a legal market for weapon rentals just within the gate as long as you promise to not use them.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

After several days of traveling and visiting two different groups of friends, Suzi and I are now at home again with no travel plans for two weeks. It's tiring, but enjoyable. Tomorrow I get to get some work done that I've fallen behind on. I did pick up some new writing music at a half price books, The Best of Jackson Brown and Black Flag's Who's Got the 10.5. I figure those two alone cover a lot of ground. Unfortunately, I've fallen behind on reading blogs, so perhaps tomorrow I'll set aside an hour or two to catch up in all that I've missed lately.

The dynamic and unique society of Ancient Kemet is brought to life in this well-rounded study of its three-thousand year history. Liart Spilgie is a masterful storyteller and a quality historian as well. Ancient Kemet is almost a required text for any aspiring library-builder.